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Amazon.co.uk Review
Julian Barnes's England, England is a sharp-edged satire of Englishness at the end of the 20th century. The real England is failing--her empire lost, her aspirations to greatness subsiding, her history fading. Megalomaniacal entrepreneur Sir Jack Pitman hits upon the idea of creating an altogether superior, theme-park version of the original on the Isle of Wight (renamed simply the Island). His creative team includes Martha Cochraine, whose own childhood disappointments and unfulfilled dreams Barnes unfolds to the reader in the opening chapters. For a brief moment it looks as if able Martha will outsmart the ruthless Sir Jack, assisted by her grateful, bespectacled lover Paul Harrison (the operation's "ideas catcher"). But this is fantasy, so humble Paul betrays Martha (it would never do for the feisty woman to win after all). She retreats to the real England of faded glory, nostalgic folklore and regret.
In one section of this short novel the theme-park Dr Johnson talks entirely in direct quotations from his distinguished 18th-century counterpart, before being judged insufficiently convincing. The real, we understand, is less compelling than the fake. There are so many cultural allusions per page that the head of even the most enthusiastic English culture snob will spin. --Lisa Jardine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A brilliant, Swiftian fantasy Economist There is no more intelligent writer on the literary scene. In this novel, he is also moving. He has written nothing more poignant and enticing Sunday Times Not only a very funny satire about England and the world... He has also skilfully dissected the discomforting ways in which we have all grown to accept, and even depend on, illusion Wall Street Journal Runs at glorious full tilt...delightful stuff Independent
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Julian Barnes has regularly turned out novels breaching the boundaries between fiction and essay, lolling around in ideas and dissecting them as an essayist would but through the machinations of plot.
The genius of the man lies in the fact that despite his leanings towards the essay his works exist as fully-fledged fictional works. He is arguably the greatest English novelist of the past twenty years and has a much more natural handling of the vagaries of plot and character than most of his contemporaries.
In 'England, England' he takes on the idea of utopia/dystopia but with his usual comic touch. The plot revolves around a businessman's attempts to seal his legacy by creating a sort of mini-England on the Isle of Wight. The island holds everything that foreigners think constitutes England, from Robin Hood to Fish and Chips and even a robin in the snow, and serves as a kind of amusement park come tourist haven, enabling people to experience the breadth of English history and geography in a matter of days.
In terms of ideas Barnes covers capitalism, the real vs the imitation, British tabloids, love, sex and fetishism.
It's one of his more unconventional novels and I probably wouldn't recommend it for a first time reader of Barnes (try 'Talking It Over' instead), but it is probably the novel of his that will be looked at most in academic circles and on university courses and will be read alongside '1984' and 'Brave New World' in the future as a study of utopias/dystopias.
The genius of the man lies in the fact that despite his leanings towards the essay his works exist as fully-fledged fictional works. He is arguably the greatest English novelist of the past twenty years and has a much more natural handling of the vagaries of plot and character than most of his contemporaries.
In 'England, England' he takes on the idea of utopia/dystopia but with his usual comic touch. The plot revolves around a businessman's attempts to seal his legacy by creating a sort of mini-England on the Isle of Wight. The island holds everything that foreigners think constitutes England, from Robin Hood to Fish and Chips and even a robin in the snow, and serves as a kind of amusement park come tourist haven, enabling people to experience the breadth of English history and geography in a matter of days.
In terms of ideas Barnes covers capitalism, the real vs the imitation, British tabloids, love, sex and fetishism.
It's one of his more unconventional novels and I probably wouldn't recommend it for a first time reader of Barnes (try 'Talking It Over' instead), but it is probably the novel of his that will be looked at most in academic circles and on university courses and will be read alongside '1984' and 'Brave New World' in the future as a study of utopias/dystopias.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The first chapter alone is worth the whole book for the quality of the writing. Barnes' themes are treated lightly throughout his well-constructed narrative.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As well as discussing England and 'Englishness', the book also asks of us to think of our own, individual, character or nature. And it's this that I found most interesting. Sure, the logistics involved in recreating a simulacra of England on the Isle of Wight are fascinating, but there's so much more to the novel as well. It would be crass of me to reduce the essence of this book to cliched questions like - 'Who am I? Where am I going? How will I know when I get there? Am I who I'm destined to be yet?' But I'm not a professional book reviewer, so you'll have to forgive such crassness.
'England, England' is a fine book, and there's more in there than you might think.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A little convoluted
Maybe it is my fault rather than the author's, but I didn't find this book funny AT ALL - it didn't raise even a glimmer of a smile from start to finish. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Laura Smith
Perhaps the best books were already written a long time ago
Didn't gain anything from this novel at any level, through the story line or through any interesting allegorical interpretation......nor was I entertained. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Timothy S. Beattie
No thank you
Great service Amazon and seller but terrible book - for once after 150 pages i didn't even want to finish it. My book club had half a review of ' no thank you '
Published 6 months ago by B
Funny. Clever. Insightful.
I am listening to England England on CD in the car and decided to check to see what else the author has written and was amazed to see how few stars it gets. Read more
Published 10 months ago by GiGi
England, England
This book was not amongst those that I would want to immediately reread. This might say more about me than the text. Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2009 by Anita
Big ideas
I was looking forward to reading `England, England'. The premise, discussed in detail by another reviewer, is fascinating, as are some of the characters. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Mrs Plum
Utter drivel
Ferociously funny said the blurb. Well, if you've never read anything else in your life except for the first page of Genesis it might just about make you smile. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 1999
'So English!' - Julian Barnes and 'England, England'
Recent reviews have all concentrated upon the patchey nature of Julian Barnes's recent Booker nominated novel 'England, England'. For once the reviewers are right!. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 1998
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